Ballad Of

Jocelyn Allen

by Tessa Bolsover on 22 June 2015

Jocelyn Allen is a UK based photographer and fresh LCC MA graduate. Her most recent series is a collection of minimal self-portraits titled 'Covering The Carpet'. Playful yet compelling, these images simultaneously expose and conceal, exploring the double standards surrounding the female body, and in particular the media's fascination/disgust with pubic hair.

"The female form is a hotly debated topic; it is constantly under scrutiny. Its naked state is the site of much political debate/contestation, particularly in reference to a woman's choice on the question: to remove or grow body hair? In July 2014, a painting was removed from a London gallery for showing a woman’s pubic hair. Though the pose was seductive, the woman was made with oil. If a painting can be deemed as ‘too pornographic and disgusting’, what about a woman in real life captured by light? These self-portraits are a performance in contorting, balancing and/or leaping the body into poses, in order to attempt to conceal this area."

A selection from this series is currently being exhibited in FreshFaced+WildEyed, a new exhibit at The Photographers' Gallery, London, from the 16th June to 5th July.

Go check out Jocelyn's other work on her website.

Crafted by I Love Monsters